Village Head's Debauchery

"How did the gods regain their powers if it collapsed?" Orion asked, furrowing their brows in confusion.

Although he finally understood why Aerialia looked like the winged race with some unique features. From what he had witnessed, the gods still possessed their divine powers, enabling them to accomplish feats and were easily recognizable; one could tell them apart from any other race with just a glance.

"As the heavens were slowly phasing out of existence, the primordial energy left behind by the gods halted it and brought it back into existence. It was like an object was being forcefully compressed and torn apart before being restored to its previous state.'

'Soon, healing the heavens back to their previous state was no longer a viable solution, and after it collapsed for the umpteenth time, the heavens finally went through its first rebirth and was restored to existence."

"However, because the heavens were now lifeless after being restored to existence, the heavens became sentient. No…" Aerialia shook her head, "Even before that, it was already sentient, providing us gods with everything we needed while keeping us trapped away from the universe. However, this time, it was as though it had become even more aware of its existence."

"With the gods no longer in heaven, its existence was no longer needed. However, with the gods still recovering their primordial powers, its existence was still something that the gods needed. The heavens gradually settled on it as it could not break out of that state."

"Although the difficulty in getting back our powers had increased exponentially due to the heavens going through its first rebirth, entangling our primordial powers together, strangely, it helped us recover them."

"For us gods, the higher we transcended, the more we tried to understand what had happened to the heavens. Those who have transcended are called true gods because they have returned to their original selves. However, due to its state of bordering the line between existence and non-existence, consciousness and unconsciousness, it was difficult to comprehend what it was."

"We knew that, although we were the cause of what had happened, for us to return to the heavens, we needed to navigate the border of existence and non-existence, consciousness and unconsciousness. However, doing so for a long time for us gods was dangerous."

Hearing Aerialia's words, Orion's eyes opened as he finally understood how the gods had recovered their powers. However, one thing still struck him from Aerialia's words.

Seeing Aerialia's surprised and thoughtful gaze, as though already understanding the question he wanted to ask, Aerialia nodded in response.

"Yes. A few gods managed to return; however, what they saw wasn't the heavens we left behind. Due to its state, the heavens became a strange, lifeless void where everything existed yet didn't exist because it occupied both states simultaneously. It now extends even further than the universe itself and left even the gods baffled," Aerialia said.

"The heavens were no more, and all that remained was the 'Divine mysteries,' a place where the gods do everything in their powers to grasp and return to. It's ironic, isn't it?" Aerialia added with a smile on her face as she shook her head.

Suddenly, her expression became serious as she continued.

"As time continued, the 'Divine Mysteries' not only helped the gods recover their powers and transcend but also guided those related to the divine toward godhood, leaving the gods even more puzzled. But there was nothing we could do about it except give our best and try to grasp the might of the 'Divine Mysteries.'"

Orion exhaled deeply as Aerialia finished her explanation. Although he had expected to find the origin of the 'Divine Mysteries' exceptionally mind-boggling, he couldn't help but agree that this was something else.

"So, White Flame gained the opportunity to become a true god because the 'Divine Mysteries' granted him that chance?" Orion asked.

"Yes. Although I still don't know how White Flame managed to achieve such a feat since he was previously only a mortal, considering that the 'Divine Mysteries' even unleashed its wrath upon this world after his demise, it meant that he had incredible potential to become a very powerful god once he transcends. It's a shame that he couldn't complete the trial," Aerialia responded, shaking her head with a sigh escaping her lips.

"What trial?" Orion instantly questioned.

"The 'Divine Mysteries' guides us through trials that we must succeed in to recover our powers. Did you really think it would guide freely after abandoning the heavens?" Aerialia responded with a raised brow.

Orion was immediately surprised before suddenly becoming thoughtful as Aerialia's words ended.

"Humph! How naive," Aerialia said, witnessing Orion's expression.

Orion, however, didn't pay any heed to her words. Instead, he asked, "So, you mean…"

However, Aerialia immediately interrupted.

"Yes. The last ember of White Flame that had entered your chest contains traces of the 'Divine Mysteries.' This means that if a time should ever come when you have grasped the divine and are considered worthy by the 'Divine Mysteries' to transcend into godhood, then you will be given the same trial that White Flame failed to accomplish to step into another stage of godhood."

"Of course, you can reject it if you feel you are not yet ready. But I just want to remind you that it is almost impossible for the 'Divine Mysteries' to consider the same person twice, as those who reject the opportunity to be divine are not meant to become one in the first place," Aerialia said.

Orion nodded seriously in response to Aerialia's words. Although he didn't know if he would ever be qualified to go through the trial and successfully become a god, Aerialia's words were meaningful enough to take to heart.

"Also, one more thing. Although it is incredibly hard for a god to sense that you possess a trace of the 'Divine Mysteries' in you, for your own safety, it's best that you don't reveal this information to anyone else. And should it even come to light, you should deny it, even if it manages to come to light," Aerialia added.